Pythagorean Fidelity
by nottonyharrison
Summary: Life is tough when you have two potential boyfriends, a former lover who still likes to hang for beer and pizza, and the possibility of an eternity with only hamsters for company. Sequel to Restless Sinner. Tart Les and Babe, but not BabeTart
1. Part One

**PYTHAGOREAN FIDELITY**  
** by nottonyharrison (Kim)**  
** Sequel to Restless Sinner**

**Genre:** Romance/Angst  
**Pairing(s):** Stephanie/Lester, Stephanie/Ranger  
**Rating:** M  
**Warnings:** Language, Lemons, Morelli friendly  
**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N:**As requested, we now have a sequel to the story that confused y'all so much. I'm a major proponent of stories just... finishing and not necessarily ending, so if you don't like all your loose ends to be tied up in a pretty bow then my fics might not be for you. It would be a shame though, because I'm actually a pretty damn good writer (yeah yeah, narcissism is a major problem for me, give me a break).

As you may already know, I don't do hearts and flowers romance, so check your fluff expectations at the door. Also, I'm a hot twenty something who has had a lot of sex in her lifetime so there ain't no cringeworthy smut cliches. No throbbing members will appear in any of my stories, I promise! I call a cock a cock and a cunt a cunt so if that offends you then get out now.

Many thanks to Lori (latetolove) for the beta. You are amazeballs.

Please remember to sign up for The Plum Archives, a new Plum fanfic site that welcomes adult content and works in much the same way as FFN - plum . meta101 . com

...

**Part One**

…...

Despite his words to the contrary, Lester Santos was exceptional at oral sex. So much so in fact, that Stephanie Plum was struggling to keep her voice down, biting into a throw cushion that she had managed to snatch up before things had gotten out of hand.

Lester smirked, slightly sticky lips curving against her as his fingers curled; pressing firmly against the wall of her slick vagina in what he knew was exactly the right spot. She stiffened and one of her legs slowly straightened, foot sliding down the muscular expanse of his naked torso. A wavering moan came from her mouth as her teeth lost their grip on the fabric, and he felt pressure against his fingers as she came, her body quivering as the high dissipated.

"Fuck."

"Yeah," he replied, raising himself slightly and resting his chin on her stomach.

"You really know how to make a woman do what you want, huh?"

"Don't know, you tell me."

She chuckled, and he felt her contract around his fingers again. He smiled and kissed her belly quickly before extracting the digits from her, careful to tease her a little along the way. She wriggled and slid her foot back up his abdomen to his shoulder, shoving him roughly out of the way with her deceptively powerful leg.

"Woah, someone's been working out," he teased as he sat back on the couch, pulling on her leg and dragging her towards him until she was close enough for him to lift onto his lap.

"Why the fuck are you still wearing pants?"

"I got distracted." Indignation laced his voice, and he gripped her waist, roughly tugging her down until he was able to grind himself against her. "Guess I'll have to take them off now, you've totally ruined them."

"Hey, I just came here get my bra. You're the one who shoved your fingers in my hoo-ha."

"For a woman who is an absolutely incredible fuck, you sure are repressed."

"How do you figure?"

"Hoo-ha? Give me a break."

"What? I'm Catholic. Euphemisms are an art form."

His hand slid from her waist to her breast, gripping it roughly and pinching her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, head tilting backwards as she thrust her chest into his palm, and her naked crotch into his rather prominent erection.

"What's wrong with vagina?" He asked absently as he watched the nipple pucker to the point of looking painful. He dipped his head and sucked it into his mouth, nibbling on it with his teeth gently until she moaned loudly. Something was huskily gasped in reply to his question, but he had lost interest, instead intent on finding out how hard was too hard when biting down on a woman's flesh.

"Lester!"

His head snapped up and he smirked. "Too much?"

She grabbed her bra from where it lay discarded against the arm of the couch and snapped it on and tugged her loose purple tank over the top. Scrambling off his lap she snatched up her panties and yoga pants.

"Whaddid I do?" He scratched his head, watching her as she pulled the underwear on underneath the long line of the tank, just barely giving him a glimpse of her bare ass.

"Nothing... well... everything," she sighed. "I dunno, just give me a sec, okay?"

The tight three quarter pants were now covering her legs and she sat back on the couch. She pulled a foot towards her torso and put on an ankle sock that she had fished out from between the cushions. "Have you seen the other one?"

Lester raised an eyebrow and pointed at the lamp on the table beside the armrest.

"Oh." Snatching it up and pulling it on, she stood and headed for the door and her shoes.

"Wait, Steph. Where are you going?"

"Right now? Work. In general? I have no fucking idea."

…...

Stephanie's fingers tapped against the keyboard, the only sound rising above the muffled ambient noise coming through the acoustic barrier of the cubicle walls. Fingers flying across the keys, she did her best to appear busy, refusing to feel guilty about retyping an already complete report.

"I thought you had already finished that report."

She jerked violently in her chair, and it rolled back a little on its wheels at the unexpected voice and swore loudly. Turning a little she shot him a narrow eyed look. "Stupid fucking Linux OS you're running on these machines's got a bug in it. Screwed up my formatting so badly, it's easier just to start again." Pulling herself back towards the desk with one hand, she grabbed an a4 clear pocket and waved it towards the man in the doorway, eyes back on the wide LCD.

His arms were crossed over his torso, and he was propped up against the entrance to the small cubby with his hip, his demeanour intense but yet almost playful. He stepped forward and perched himself against her desk, resting in the space normally occupied by her wireless mouse.

She glowered at him momentarily before continuing the transcription of the document she'd thankfully had the forethought to mess up before printing. She needed the extra wages this week for some new tires.

He remained sitting on the desk as she continued typing, her mind wandering towards him but her focus appearing to remain on her work. She didn't need to look at him to know a smirk was beginning to sneak across his lips. Her top wasn't exactly modest.

"Stop staring at my boobs."

"They're pretty fucking fantastic boobs."

Stephanie squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore the reminder of two evenings before, his words eerily similar to Lester's.

"You get a good workout this morning?" His eyes drifted to her backpack, the purple tank top poking out from beneath the zipper.

"I needed to work off some aggression."

"I think we need to talk."

"I'm not in the mood."

"Fine." He stood and pushed away from the desk, ruffling her hair as he left. "Let me know when you're sick of internalizing everything."

He left as quietly as he had come, and she stilled, letting out a soft groan as she dropped her head to the keyboard.

"I am so royally fucked."

…...

"I'm such a slut."

Joe laughed, patting her on the knee as he reached across for another slice of pepperoni. "No you're not. You're a thirty-four year old woman whose finally realized sex and love aren't mutually exclusive."

"Wow, listen to mister intellectual over there. Oooh, Steph, sex and love aren't mutually exclusive, You should bang everyone who strikes your fancy." Stephanie rolled her eyes and picked up the crust Joe had dropped back into the pizza box. "Thanks, Freud. Next time I need validation, I'll remember to call you."

"What did you expect me to say?" he asked, incredulously. "Yes, Stephanie. You're a total ho. Stop enjoying yourself."

"Considering the way you acted when we were together, yeah. That is kind of the reaction I was expecting."

"Oh come on. I wasn't that bad."

She looked at him with incredulity, eyebrows raised towards her hairline.

"Okay, maybe I was a little territorial."

She snorted and swivelled on the couch, flopping her legs over his and reaching in vain for the beer that was sitting on the coffee table. After a few seconds of pathetic arm waving, she put her hand on the floor and reached over with the other, managing to get a tenuous grip on the neck of the bottle.

"I just don't get it. What the fuck is wrong with me?" She righted herself on the cushion and drained a third of the beer in a couple of swallows.

"What do you mean?"

"Well when we were together I couldn't bring myself to do the nasty with both of you at the same time-"

"Wow, Steph. I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

"Shut up, you know what I meant." She glared at him and took another sip. "I mean, with you and Ranger I would always avoid one of you like the plague if I was spending any kind of... intimate time with the other... wait. No, that's wrong. I avoided Ranger when you and I were living together."

"You avoided me when you were hanging out at Rangeman, too."

"Uh, no," she replied sarcastically. "I hung out at Rangeman when you were being a total douche canoe. You dug your own hole there, buddy."

"Fair enough."

"I don't understand why it's taken this long to get rid of the fucking Catholic guilt."

"Are you sure it was Catholic guilt?"

"What the hell else would it be, mister psychologist?"

"Maybe you just felt regular guilt, because you knew I wanted to marry you and pump out a bunch of crazy haired bad tempered kids?"

"I'm glad at least one of us can make fun of my disaster of a life."

"You wanna make out?"

"Ew. No."

"See? You're not a total slut."

She reached into the pizza box, again almost falling off the couch and grabbed a piece of pie, flicking it in his direction before he had a chance to react. The slice sailed over his head and hit the wall, pizza sauce dripping down the wall in fat red globs.

"Nice shot."

"Shut up."

"Why are you so chill now that we're not together?"

"Because I don't have half the 'Burg asking when I'm going to make an honest woman out of you. It gets a bit frustrating after three years."

"So all the hating on my job and needling me to become a housewife was out of some kind of weird sense of self-preservation?" She chuckled and shoved his leg with her foot.

"Cupcake, I just want you to be happy."

"I'm never gonna be happy if I keep getting involved with two men at once."

"Maybe you always need a backup for when you break one."

"Can you imagine when I have kids? What are they gonna say to their friends? My mommy has two boyfriends?"

"Do you care?"

She huffed out a breath and tilted her face back towards the ceiling. "Not really." She took another sip of beer. "You know what? I don't even know why we're discussing this. Ranger isn't interested in any kind of normal relationship, and Santos is well... Santos. I'll probably die alone except for the company of millionty-twelve hamsters."

"I'll make you a deal. If you hit forty and decide you're ready to be a stay at home mom, I'll set you up with a hot young rookie."

"_Ewwwwwwww._" She screwed up her nose and drained her drink.

He reached for the remote and turned up the volume of the television, effectively ending their conversation as the Rangers ran out onto the field. "Hey, don't say I didn't offer to help."

She grinned and turned her head. "Don't worry, Morelli. With that deal on the table, I will go out of my way to avoid being forty and single."

…...

"You're not just a piece of ass to me."

She rolled over and slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the tall silhouette outlined by the thin curtains. Lester.

"I want you so much. I want to be... fuck." He groaned loudly and rubbed a hand forcefully over his closely cropped hair. Stephanie closed her eyes and rolled back towards the opposite wall. "I want to be with you, Steph. I want it so fucking bad I feel like every time I see you there's some kind of... I don't know. I've never felt like this before."

She reached behind her and flipped the covers back, a silent invitation for him to join her. "It's the guilt, Les. It makes you do stupid things. Trust me, I'm an expert on the subject."

There was silence behind her, and she turned over to once again face the window. Even in the dim light she could make out his intense demeanour, eyes locked on hers, not blinking. His white shirt was wrinkled and the top three buttons undone, faded jeans hung low on his hips and were tucked haphazardly into the ankles of scuffed brown work boots.

"No. It's not guilt. I feel like... I don't know like I'm trying to jump out of my skin or something. Every time I see you I just want to push you up against something and..." he sat on the edge of the bed, hands on his knees leaning forward a little. After a moment of silence, he turned his shoulders and head and looked down at her, her eyes were wide and curious. "I just want to be _in _you, Steph."

He realised the extent of his inability to articulate his feelings a moment later.

"And not like _that._"

"Like that feeling when you hear an incredible song and want to climb inside the music?"

"Yeah. That one." He turned back to the window.

"I feel like that about 'When the Levee Breaks'."

He laughed and kicked off his boots. After toeing off his socks he slipped under the covers and lay on his back stiffly, eyes on the ceiling.

"Big bad mercenary realized he has feelings, huh?"

"I wasn't a mercenary, Steph."

She laughed, continuing to stare at the ceiling. "Yeah, yeah. You guys are all the same, trying to convince yourselves that you were doing what's best for the world."

"I was CIA."

She turned her head to face him, expression closed and voice deadpan. "Get the fuck out."

His eyes met hers, and he spoke quietly. "I was recruited in my third year at Rutgers. Apparently being multilingual is a useful skill in the espionage game." His mouth quirked into a small grin.

"What happened? How did you end up at Rangeman?"

"I was burned."

"What, that shit actually happens? I thought that was an only in the movies thing." Her eyes were wide, and she had turned fully onto her side, head resting on her right hand.

"I was in Arauca trying to get through the border to Venezuela. I was meeting an asset on the other side, but I was arrested by the DAS at a checkpoint. They beat the crap out of me and dumped me in the middle of the jungle."

"How did you get out?"

"Dumb luck. I woke up momentarily and we'd stopped for fuel. All I remembered after that was travelling uphill. After they tossed me out of the ute and into a ravine, I stumbled down the hill for half a day and eventually found the village."

"Why? Why did they burn you?"

"Honestly? To this day I still have no fucking idea," his voice was gravelly and his mouth had set itself back into a stern line. "I'm guessing I was a fall guy, I heard some rumours a few years ago about a rogue DEA agent being captured and charged with treason, but it's kind of hard to catch chatter when nobody around you is talking."

"So why Rangeman?"

"Ranger. I lived down the street from him when we were kids. His mom used to force feed me pan con lechón after school 'cos we were too poor to buy meat. It took me a while, but I eventually managed to make my way back to the US, I figured getting back to Jersey would be my best bet."

"How did you make it back?"

"You don't wanna know. And I'm not entirely sure I want to tell you that story."

She nodded. "Yeah, fair enough.'

"You don't seem fazed much."

"I'm still half asleep."

He chuckled and shuffled closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. She tucked her head into his chest, her lips resting lightly against his breastbone. "How many of the guys know?"

"Just Ranger. I want to keep it that way."

"'Kay"

They were silent, both closing their eyes in an attempt to drift off, silently praying their overactive brains would calm down long enough for at least a few hours sleep.

"Lester?"

"Yeah?"

"Exactly how many languages do you know?"

"Eight."

"Oh."

"Although my Mandarin and Cantonese are a bit rusty, I picked those ones up for fun."

"Why so many?"

Lester was silent for a few moments, and Stephanie pulled back a little, watching his face as he pondered the question. Eventually he spoke.

"I dunno, really." He ran his tongue over his lips and smacked them softly, "I guess the plan was to get a job in either international relations or to work for a corporation that traded a lot in South America."

"South America?"

"I majored in Spanish and Portuguese with minors in French and Dutch."

"Oh."

They fell into a comfortable silence, the white noise of the New Jersey traffic drifting through the still partially open window. Lester had almost drifted off when Stephanie's voice once again broke the quiet.

"Les?"

"Mmmm?"

She paused and cleared her throat. "This is really awkward..."

"Awkward is your middle name, spit it out."

"What's your heritage?"

"Beg pardon?"

"I mean, what race are you? Every time I see you in a different light I get more confused..." she trailed off and hid her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, that was really rude."

"It's okay. But why does it matter?"

"I'm just curious, I guess. And I feel like for once I'm learning about you rather than blathering on about my own life."

He laughed and reached over, ruffling her hair. "You don't blather on."

She uncovered her face and looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Okay, maybe a little." He smiled and wrapped his finger around a lock of wavy hair. "I'm a real mixed bag. My mom is Cuban and was born and raised in Union City. My dad is part Native American, part Italian and part African American. Basically my family completely broke all the racial barriers in the mid part of the twentieth century."

"Wow. That must have been an intense household."

Lester smirked wryly and let out a sharp guffaw. "Not really. My mom left when I was a few months old."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope."

"So just you and your dad?"

"Yep."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay." He was smiling softly, hand still gently playing with her hair, and they lay in silence for long minutes, Lester watching her while she stared unfocused at the ceiling.

"Les?

"Mmm hmmm?"

"You know I... like Ranger, right?"

"Yeah."

She was still facing the ceiling, body rigid and arms tight to her sides. "I think I might like you too... a lot."

"Okay." He propped himself up, head resting on his hand, elbow against the mattress.

"Okay."

They went quiet again, the only sound coming from his breathing as his fingers lingered against her bare shoulder blade, and trailed down her side. Her own breath was shallow, barely enough to register a puff of warmth against the cool winter air. Her eyes were still fixed on a slightly dark patch on one of the ceiling tiles, the appearance of 'feigning ignorance' easier to hold up with a vague shape to focus on.

"Steph?"

"Mmm?"

His hand had reached her hip, his touch cool against the warmth of her blanket covered body. "I like you, too... a lot."

"Oh."

His hand had splayed across her thigh and he had leaned over, his lips dangerously close to hers. "You need to stop overthinking everything so much."

Her eyes cut to his and narrowed. "Considering you guys are always complaining about how I rush into things, shouldn't this be an improvement?"

"I like you, you like me. You know what most people do when they like each other?"

"Have sex?"

"Well, yeah. I was going to say spend time together, but that works, too." His lips had curled into a smirk and he licked his lower lip, the familiar expression sending a flush of heat through her body. "You wanna have sex?"

"Do you have any birthday cake?"

"No."

"Then yes."

"Why did you rush out on me this morning?" He was nose to nose with her, hazel eyes staring intently into hers. She scowled.

"I only came up to get my bra, which you _deliberately _hid."

"Did not."

"Don't lie."

He rested his forehead against hers and let out a breath. "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

"I already made it easy for you. You two have just confused the fuck out of me."

"Who, me and Ranger?"

"Yeah."

His hand moved from her thigh and to the other side of her torso, allowing him to hover directly above, blocking her view of the ceiling. "We've talked about this. I like you, you like me, you like Ranger. Big fucking deal, let's have more sex."

"You know something?"

"What?"

"When I first started working for Rangeman, he said to me that if any of you tried to get it on with me, he'd fire you."

Lester chuckled and grinned. "He can't fire me."

"Why not?"

"His mom wouldn't speak to him ever, again. She likes me more than him."

In a flash her hands were against his chest shoving hard, but he didn't budge. "That's beside the point, and you know it."

"Steph, think for a minute." He settled down on his elbows and buried a hand back in her hair, stroking the side of her skull gently. She huffed and rolled her eyes. "What do you want from Ranger?"

"I don't know. I used to want everything, but now... I don't know if I can be bothered any more. He's always contradicting himself and taking advantage of situations when he's sworn he's not interested in sharing..." she trailed off.

"But you still want something?"

"I told you I... like him. Duh."

"So... maybe he's trying to offer you a way to have a relationship with him that doesn't mean a picket fence and a minivan?"

"He's fucking talked to you about me, hasn't he?" She stiffened and turned her head away to face the window, wincing as his fingers caught in her hair.

"I've been attracted to you for a long time, Stephanie."

"Wait...what?"

"I don't exactly hide it. We've had... a discussion."

"What kind of discussion?"

He tilted his head back and grimaced. "Fuck this is going to sound corny."

"Spit it out, Santos."

"We uh... came to an agreement. A while ago."

"An _agreement_?" She clenched her teeth at the mention of the phrase Ranger had used in the parking garage just the previous morning. The phrase that had caused her to consume an entire box of jelly doughnuts.

"Do we really have to do this now? Can't we just have some insanely hot sex and talk tomorrow?"

"No."

He sighed and rolled off her, returning to lying on his back with his hands stiffly by his sides. "Ranger loves you, but he's emotionally stunted. I... like you, and am sort of emotionally stunted, but not as much as him. We figured that between us we're kind of a... whole person... I guess." He took a breath and turned back towards her. "Also, you kind of have a habit of getting bored with one dude."

She slapped him on the shoulder and smiled wryly. "True that."

"Please can we do it now? I'm really fucking horny."

She laughed and tugged his head towards hers. "Are you sure there isn't any birthday cake?."

He grinned. "There is definitely no birthday cake."

…...

Ranger stood outside the open door, leaning against a wall that appeared faintly spattered with pizza sauce. His usual blank expression was instead radiating warmth, the scene in front of him a surprising departure from what he had expected of the evening.

Santos had beaten him to it. And instead of the small amount of jealousy he had expected to feel, he just felt... nice. Happy even.

Relieved.

Even if Santos had been a bit crass and inarticulate, he had dealt with the conversation better than Ranger ever could have. He had gone over it in his head a hundred times and every one ended in Stephanie either shooting him or kneeing him in the balls. Or with him repeatedly bashing his own head against a door frame.

A tinkle of laughter came from the bedroom, and he turned to leave, allowing a soft smile to creep across his lips. If one of them fucked this up, then his mother was going to refuse to speak to _both _of them for the rest of their lives.

_End part one_


	2. Part Two

**Pythagorean Fidelity: Part Two**

**A/N: **Thanks as always to my beta, Latetolove, who panders to my insecurity and pushes me in the right direction. This is the conclusion to this particular story, as Stephanie has completed her next step in her emotional journey. **Don't worry though, there will be more parts to this series, and this story_line_!** Keep your eyes peeled for a Lester prequel too :D

**This will be the last time I will post a story simultanously at FFN and The Plum Archives. Going forward The Plum Archives will be the primary location that I post, if you haven't visited already, then please do head on over and check it out. theplumarchives dot com/fiction ****I will still be posting here, but there will be a delay between posting at TPA and FFN.**

…...

"Oh Jesus fucking Christ will you just hurry up already?"

A low chuckle came from the direction of her feet, and Lester's head popped up over the swell of her breasts.

"We already did _how many fingers does__it take to turn on Stephanie's light bulb_ yesterday." His voice was rough and gravelly and he slid his hands up her thighs. "Now I wanna play _how long does it take before Stephanie flicks the switch herself._"

"It's two in the motherfucking morning! Can't you just screw me already?" She pushed her head back into the mattress in frustration and gripped a pillow desperately as his hand glanced across her clit.

"No."

"_No?_"

"Yeah. No." He smirked.

"Holy _fuck_." His fingers had dipped into her quickly, pads rubbing along the inside from as deep as his long digits reached, all the way to her entrance. She let out an odd combination between a giggle and a moan and lifted her hips off the bed violently, using the momentum to roll over. Spinning on her knees she faced him and glared. "You are really not very nice, are you?"

He raised an eyebrow and moved to push her back to horizontal. She shoved him hard and forced his shoulders backwards, his head nearly hitting the wooden bed end, and leaned over him, hands still pressed against his pecs.

She looked down at his blue striped boxer briefs and frowned.

"Ha _ha!_ Got you now, haven't I?" He raised an eyebrow and strained to look at her hands, fingers twitching against his chest. "What's it going to be? Hold me down or get my pants off?"

She bit her lip and met his eyes, a smidgen of melodramatic panic crossing her face. After a moment she shrugged and leaned down, sliding one hand off his body and onto the mattress beside his head.

"I think we're good," she muttered right before running her tongue up his neck and over his chin, mouth eventually latching onto his full lips.

It was only moments before his hands were tangled in her somewhat sleep flattened hair, pressing her lips firmly against his own. He bit her bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth, and released it suddenly. She whimpered and scratched her fingertips down his torso as she pressed an open mouthed kiss against his neck, quickly dipping a little closer to his ear and nipping at the lobe roughly.

He groaned, arching his back against the sheets, and before he could recover, she had tugged his boxers down far enough to free his desperately straining erection from their spandex prison.

"You really do have an incredible dick, you know," she stated matter-of-factly before grabbing it with the hand that had, moments before, been tweaking his nipple. Suddenly she was sitting in his lap, his cock buried deep inside her as she ground down against his hips. He bit his lip and held back a moan, instead arching his back and letting out what he tried to convince himself was the masculine version of a whimper.

"Yeah?" His abs strained to pull him into a sitting position and he buried his left hand back into her hair, roughly grabbing her breast with his right, mouth hovering just a fraction of an inch from hers. "Well you're just fucking _wow _all over."

...**...**

Light filtered through the thin fabric of the sheers and Stephanie stirred, arching her back a little and pressing her fists into the sheets in a vague attempt at stretching. She stiffened as her backside came in contact with a firm smooth piece of flesh and groaned loudly.

"Shit." Her voice was husky from sleep, and she cleared her throat softly. A hand snaked over her waist and slipped towards her breast, gently cupping it. "I can't believe we did it _again_."

He moved his head to tuck into her neck and gently scraped his teeth against her shoulder. She shuddered and he tweaked her nipple firmly, revelling in surprising her with both soft and rough gestures. "I thought we agreed we like each other."

She arched back into him and groaned loudly as his attention continued to focus on her breast, alternately pinching and scraping his nails against the pink flesh. "You and I tend to have discussions when you either have me distracted, or I'm half asleep."

"So?" His hand slithered down her belly towards her thighs.

"I don't think that's really fair, do y... _ohhh fuck._" She twitched as two of his rough fingers slid over her clit, the sudden sensation a little too much for her.

"So what? We're not supposed to talk when I've got my hand between your legs?"

She moaned and snatched his hand away, rolling onto her back. Tugging the covers to her chin she turned her head towards him and glared. "Come on, Les. Be serious."

He put his fingers in his mouth and sucked, the gesture both dirty and endearingly innocent all at once. His eyes were wide and he spoke around the digits. "Mmm rrlwaysh sheriush."

She gulped and licked her bottom lip, watching his tongue clean his large, long fingers carefully and without hurry. "_Fuck_, you are so incredibly gorgeous."

"You're better." His voice was husky and low, and he flicked the covers off her quickly, his eyes trailing down her naked torso all the way to her toes and back up again, eventually settling on her nipples. "Those in particular."

"As much as I'm loving the attention, I can't help but think there is a serious hotness disparity here." She propped herself up on her elbows and he turned his head so their eyes met, his eyebrows raised. "I don't take compliments well."

He chuckled and leaned down, muttering a quick _whatever _before latching onto one of her breasts. Giggling and arching her back, she pressed her chest harder into his lips and he moved over her, pushing her back down on the bed.

"I have fifteen minutes before I have to be out of here, you wanna kill two birds with one stone and join me in the shower?"

"But bed is so _comfy_."

"My penis is so _hard_."

"Hmmm... that is a very convincing argument."

"Fourteen minutes." He ground himself into her hip and she groaned; biting her lip and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Will you carry me back to bed when we're done so I don't have to use up more energy than I absolutely _need_ to?" His lips were trailing over her neck and collarbone, gently brushing her skin and he hummed a positive response. "Okay, but you have to carry me _in_ there too."

Like a rocket he was up, springing off the bed and tossing her over his shoulder in a fireman's hold. She squeaked in surprise and kicked her legs little in an attempt to keep her balance.

"Orgasm guaranteed, gorgeous."

...**...**

It was eleven before Stephanie made it into Rangeman, sleep overtaking her mere moments after Lester had deposited her back in her bed. Her eyes drifted shut as the elevator began its journey from the parking garage to the fifth floor, only to snap back open at the ding of the doors, picking up a passenger on the fourth.

Lester's smirk greeted her from the corridor and she let her eyes meet his, slightly hooded but still able to glare daggers.

"I thought you were going to be skip chasing today." He stepped into the elevator and pushed the close door button, shuffling into place next to her, his shoulder touching hers.

"I'm too tired for getting thrown off porches and chasing gangbangers." Her voice was deadpan, and she stared blankly at the shiny silver doors as they slid closed.

"What's the matter? Didn't sleep?" He snorted and dropped his arm over her shoulders, giving her a little squeeze.

"Shut up."

He chuckled and kissed her on the temple quickly, the elevator already having made its single floor journey. The doors opened and they came face to face with Ranger, his dark eyes lingering on each of them for a moment before stepping aside to let them onto the floor.

"Morning." Stephanie gave his arm a squeeze as she stepped past him, heading towards her cubicle. Lester followed, his own office just past the main control room.

"Stephanie."

She turned around, meeting Ranger's eyes curiously.

"Can you please take a look at the search list before you start on anything else? There were a couple of large bond FTAs this morning." His voice was as emotionless as the thin smile he wore.

"Sure." Her voice caught a little and she bit her lip. His eyes lingered on her mouth and warmed a little, his smile appearing a little more genuine for a moment, but as soon as the expression had come, it passed. He stepped into the elevator, tossing a parting remark over his shoulder.

"Proud of you, babe."

Her brow wrinkled. "For what?"

He jabbed a button on the control panel and winked at her, the doors closing before she could press him for an adequate response. She made an infuriated noise and stamped her foot.

"Asshole."

Lester chuckled behind her, grabbing her arm and tugging her towards the large open space of the control room.

"Is that _deliberate_ or just something he does as a reflex?"

"What do you mean?" Lester ruffled her hair and guided her to her cubby, chuckling to himself. She glared at him out of the corner of her eye and huffed.

"The whole man of fucking mystery thing. Would it be so damn hard to hold a normal conversation?"

Lester shook his head in amusement. "Steph, exactly how long have you known Ranger?" He pulled her chair out for her and she flopped down into it.

"Yeah, yeah, I get your point."

He leaned down and nudged her neck with his nose, muttering quietly in her ear. "You wanna meet me on four for a quickie?"

She rolled her eyes and pulled the chair in as far as she could without knocking the wind out of herself. "Don't even think about it, Randy McRandypants. Besides, I think I need to have an awkward conversation with Batman at some point today."

"If you change your mind, you know where to find me." He nipped at her earlobe and squeezed her shoulder before walking away, the air of careless confidence he exuded leaving the cubicle with him.

Stephanie frowned and jabbed at the monitor's on button, blinking at the sudden brightness against the dim lighting of the control room. She leaned over and flicked on the cubicle lights, and squeezed her eyes shut at the harsh halogen glow.

As she slowly pried her eyes open, she couldn't help but momentarily berate herself, pondering the merits of settling down like her mother with a nice man. Squeezing out a couple of Burg kids, cooking pot roasts and ironing sheets.

She shuddered and snatched up a small pile of papers sitting in a letter tray to the right of the computer. She would rather be hot, bothered and confused over _that _nightmare any day.

...**...**

She stared at the nondescript grey door for a good five minutes before she worked up the nerve to put the key in the lock. Pushing it open gingerly, she peeked around the edge, her eyes falling on the light brown of a back she knew to be paradoxically hard and soft. A gentle glow filtered into the kitchen from a couple of lamps in the living area to where he stood, giving his skin a flawless and unmarred appearance that she knew to be deceptive.

"Hey." She let the door of the seventh floor apartment click closed and stood awkwardly in the entranceway.

He looked over his shoulder and met her eyes briefly, not smiling. "Hey."

She frowned, confused by the difference in his normal greeting.

He set the glass he had been drinking from next to the sink and turned to face her, hands leaning on the granite top of the kitchen island. "You okay, babe?"

She nodded sharply, the familiar term snapping her out of the moment of introspection. "Yeah, I'm fine."

They stared at each other, neither willing to make the first move. Shrugging her jacket off and tossing it over a nearby armchair, Stephanie eventually padded towards the kitchen.

"I think we need to talk."

"Oh really?" His back was arched in a cat like posture, his head tilted towards her. Black eyes met blue and she snorted.

"You are such an asshole."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

He straightened, heading back towards the refrigerator. "You want a drink?"

"No thanks."

His hand dropped from where it had reached the handle and he turned back to her slowly. Gesturing towards the fruit bowl the corner of his lip lifted in a smirk. "Apple?"

"Nah."

She gripped the thin peach tee-shirt she was wearing, pulling it over her head in one movement and tossing it aside. He raised an eyebrow.

"Babe, what are you doing?"

"I was fucking Lester this morning, you know." It wasn't a question. Her arms reached around her back and she flicked her fingers over the clasp of her bra, allowing it to come loose. She let it sit on her chest, the only thing holding it up being her broad shoulders. "How do you feel about that? Knowing I had another guy's cock in me less than twelve hours ago?"

She stood still, waiting for his response. He raised an eyebrow and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl. Taking a bite he spoke around the crisp white flesh in his mouth. "It's not ideal."

"Right. Not ideal." She let out a breath through her nose and rolled her eyes. Shrugging off the bra, she moved her hands to the buttons on her jeans and roughly pushed them over her hips, kicking them off along with the black ballet flats she had tossed on after her shower.

Standing nude apart from a pair of black brazilians she glared at him, almost daring him to continue with his indifference, eyebrows raised and lips slightly parted.

He took the bait, however insincere, and took another bite of the fruit, walking around the kitchen island and away from where she stood. As he moved towards the living area her eyes narrowed, and she frowned as he picked up the television remote from the coffee table and flopped down on the leather sofa.

"Are you going to stand there all day, or can we do this on the couch like normal people?"

"I'm naked."

"Yeah, and?"

"I'm naked." Her tone was deadpan and she remained in place, glaring at the back of his head.

"Seen it all before, babe."

She grunted softly and leaned over snatching up the tee shirt that she had removed minutes earlier. Tugging it back over her head, she headed towards where he sat, grumbling louder than she realized along the way.

"Why is it so hard to understand what the _fuck _is going on in your head?"

He raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder. "You don't even know what's going on in your _own_ head, why would you want in mine?"

She flopped down on the opposite end of the large sofa, sticking her feet directly out in front of her and resting one on the coffee table. "If you want to talk, then talk."

"You're the one who showed up at my door and took off all her clothes."

She curled her lip and made a face.

"Not that I'm complaining."

"Sure seemed like it from where I was standing."

"Stephanie, I-"

"Forget it. You obviously couldn't give a shit about how I feel." She turned her head fully and glared at him. He avoided her eyes, instead focusing on pushing back the cuticles on his right hand.

"I care."

"So you care enough to talk to Lester about me, decide what's best for me without _my _input? Fuck you. Fuck you and your fucking holier than thou pile of crap fucking attitude." She scooted closer to him and shoved him hard in the shoulder. He spun quickly in his seat, tucking his knees underneath his body and used the momentum to push her back against the cushions.

"Lester was part of that conversation too, and you were still okay with letting him bang you." His voice was low and lacking any discernible emotion. She looked up at him with wide eyes and gulped. "I fucking hate you sometimes, you know?"

She tried to shove him off, but he was too strong and wrestled her hands back against the leather, his fingers gripping her wrists as he held them on either side of her head.

"I hate you because nobody, and I mean _nobody_ has ever managed to get under my skin like you." Her lips were pressed together and she was flexing her fingers. "You broke me. A fucking white girl from the burg broke _me_."

He let go of her wrists as if they burned him and shoved himself off the couch. Stephanie lay there as he left the living room, listening to his feet pad quietly across the polished wood floors and into the bedroom. Eventually she regained her voice.

"What do you mean I _broke_ you?" She heard him stop and pause. After a few moments he spoke, the sound slightly muffled through the back of the couch.

"I love you, Stephanie. And for me..." He trailed off before sucking in a breath and continuing, "For me, that's broken."

She lay in silence for a few minutes, calming her breath and steadying her hands. The ensuite shower turned on and she decided to take the opportunity to bolt, hurriedly getting off the couch and collecting her clothes. After tugging her jeans on and slipping her feet into her shoes, she left, slamming the door loudly on her way out.

...

_Bang!_

Ranger winced as he was pulled from his state of reverie. He stood in the shower, one hand leaning against the wall as the scalding water pounded his face and body. Spitting some water from his mouth, he turned the knob as far to the right as possible, blasting himself with cold water. Groaning, he forced himself to stay under the spray for long moments as punishment for deliberately sabotaging his relationship with Stephanie yet again.

Eventually he slammed his hand against the lever, shutting off the icy water. Reaching for a towel he rubbed it over his head and dried off before pulling on a pair of loose fitting sweat pants.

_Bang! Bangbangbang!_

He frowned at the distinct sound of her knock. One rap on its own and three in quick succession, every time. He walked to the door of his bedroom and opened it, looking towards the entrance to the apartment and hesitating, wondering if he really wanted to let her back in.

He grunted as his eyes glanced across a glimmer of silver on the floor near the kitchen island. Her keys had fallen out of her pocket.

He walked to the door, scooping the keys up along the way. Dangling them from a finger he opened the door, eyes immediately meeting hers in an intense glare. He held the keys up and she snatched them from his hand and spun on her heel, this time clipping the small carabiner key ring to a belt loop. He watched her walk the short distance to the elevator with regret, wishing he didn't automatically turn his human interaction setting to 'douchebag' whenever they got too close.

"Babe, wait."

She hesitated, hand half way to the call button next to the metal doors. He took the moment to stride across the small foyer. Reaching out he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, slamming her into the doors with a metallic clang.

Fractions of a second later his lips were on hers and his hands were gripping her buttocks, picking her up and forcing her to wrap her legs around his slim hips. He kissed her with anger and sadness. Regret, longing and self-hatred mingling together in an attempt to convey how he felt through the physical alone. One hand left her ass as and moved to her tee shirt, shoving up the flimsy fabric and grabbing a breast. She whimpered and gripped his hair, fingers barely managing to maintain a hold on the now short crop.

He pressed her harder into the elevator doors, grinding his crotch against hers and using the pressure to allow his hands to let go of her completely. Moving his upper body away slightly he shoved her shirt over her head, tossing it vaguely in the direction of the penthouse and slammed his lips back into hers. She pressed back, the hand that wasn't scratching at his scalp gripping his shoulder, pulling him as close to her as possible.

Eventually the fog clouding his judgement cleared and he moved them away from the elevator, almost stumbling back to the apartment door. She pulled her mouth away from his and caught his eye, a slight look of disappointment crossing her expression.

"Trust me, babe. You don't want an audience for what I'm about to do to you."

A look of realization passed over her features, and she buried her head in his shoulder, shame overtaking the lust that had just moments before been the only feeling coursing through her. He used her distraction to take a moment to flick the tee shirt sitting on the floor through the entrance with his foot. Stepping through, he kicked the door shut and turned, pressing them up against the solid wood.

"Steph." She remained silent, but pushed against his pecs in an attempt to get free from his embrace. "Steph, look at me."

He felt her shake her head against his shoulder and sighed. They stayed against the door for minutes until she eventually picked her head up and leaned it against the door, meeting his eyes with almost cold resignation.

"This isn't going to work, Ranger."

He gulped and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "Please don't push me away again."

"This is toxic. _We _are toxic." The cool expression softened and she ran a hand up his chest, letting it eventually come to rest against his cheek. "We dance around each other until one of us tries to have a relationship with someone else, and then we realize what we're missing." She sighed. "Tell me how that's healthy?"

He let out a mirthless bark of laughter and let his eyes shift to the wall next to her head. "When have either of us ever done healthy relationships?"

She ran her thumb across his eyebrow and smiled softly. "I love you, you know that don't you?"

"Yeah." His voice was barely above a whisper and he looked back at her, eyes meeting in an intense gaze. "Please don't walk away from this. I don't know _how_ this is going to work, but I know it can."

"Even if I'm fucking Lester every second night?"

"I trust him."

She leaned her head back against the door and laughed. "To do what? Make sure he always makes me come?"

Ranger groaned and knocked his head into the cool wood with a dull _thunk_.

"To make sure that every morning when I wake up, his fingers are already in my cunt and playing me like a fucking violin?" He pulled his head back and glared at her.

"Not gonna work, babe."

The shit eating grin she wore faded to a gentle smile, and she bit her lip. "Maybe we should just stop talking huh? We're not very good at it."

"Just humor me for a sec, please?"

"'Kay"

"Do you like him, or is it just sex?"

She sucked in a sharp breath and looked towards the ceiling, biting her lip and wriggling in a futile attempt to free herself from his embrace.

"Tell me, Steph. Do you feel something for him, or is he just a handy cock?"

She dropped her eyes to meet his, angry tears brimming against her lashes. "I like him, Ranger. I like him a lot."

He nodded. "Good."

"Why are you doing this?" A harsh sob escaped her throat, and she snapped her mouth shut.

"Do you love him?" His eyes searched hers and she blinked hard, moisture trickling down her cheeks.

"I'm trying really fucking hard not to." She shoved against his chest and kicked hard at his thighs but he held tight, wrapping his arms around her waist and carrying her back to the couch instead of letting her free. He sat down on the edge of the black leather cushion, holding her tight against his chest, head buried in her neck.

"Joe wasn't right for you, babe. I'm really sorry I didn't see that earlier."

"Would it have made a difference?"

"No."

"Then why the sudden willingness to share?"

"I told you, I trust him."

"I still don't see how that's relevant."

"Babe, who exactly do you think the silent partner is in Rangeman?"

"I dunno... Tank?"

He let out a bark of laughter. "Tank would rather spend the rest of his life in Siberia than be tied down to a business."

"So what, you're telling me it's Lester? That doesn't make any sense."

"No, babe. It's not Les." He lifted a hand up to her head and ran it over her hair, smoothing down the curls that had become mussed from rubbing against the wall. "Ever wondered why there are so many ex-military guys working here? Lester the burned spy, Rodriguez the analyst, Bobby the field surgeon?"

She groaned at her own stupidity, angry for not seeing it before. "You're in bed with the government."

"Yeah."

'Fuck."

"Now do you understand?"

"I guess."

"Can we please just go to bed now? Have some pent up emotional angry sex, maybe even sleep for a bit?"

She threw her head back and laughed, unexpectedly and loudly. Ranger stared at her in curiosity, surprised by her sudden mirth.

"You two are _sooooooo _similar."

"No we're not."

"Uh... I think you _are_."

His arms were back around her waist now and he stood, hoisting her a little higher against him as he carried her towards the bedroom.

"We're not."

"Are too."

"Shut up."

She opened her mouth to respond, but was silenced by his lips on hers, stealing her breath and her thoughts all in one desperate motion. He tossed her onto the bed none too gently, body looming over her, hands and mouth lingering in places that made her gasp and whimper. As his hands glided up and over her torso, she remembered his words from earlier that day.

"What did you mean when you said you were proud of me today?" She propped herself up on her elbows and nudged him with her knee. He rested his chin on her belly and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I dunno how to say this exactly... but you're finally not afraid to be you."

She raised an eyebrow and frowned."I'm always _me_. Why do you think I'm always dropping myself into crappy situations?"

"When was the last time you did something that felt good, just because you wanted to?"

She dropped her head back on the bed and he moved up her body, latching onto a nipple. He was right.

For the first time, the guilt was gone.

_End_


End file.
